Anthony Kilhoffer is an American hip hop record producer, songwriter, and engineer, best known for his collaborations with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Keyshia Cole and John Legend. [1]
Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Kilhoffer got his start in the music business as an intern at Trax Records, where he worked with Ministry and other hardcore music acts. [2] He soon moved to Los Angeles to take a job at Record Plant studios, where he began his professional relationship with Kanye West, first acting as an engineer on a series of Floetry recordings, produced by West. [3]
This commenced a working relationship with West that extended more than a decade, serving as engineer and/or producer on West's albums The College Dropout , Late Registration , Graduation , 808s and Heartbreak , My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , Watch The Throne (with Jay-Z), Cruel Summer , Yeezus , and The Life of Pablo .
Kilhoffer eventually expanded his musical collaborations to include Iggy Azalea (with whom he shared a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year), John Legend, Kid Cudi, Rick Ross, Keisha Cole, Common, The Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, and Travis Scott, whom Kilhoffer discovered and initially managed upon Scott's 2012 debut. [4] [5]
Kilhoffer's musical output has resulted in four Grammy Award wins and five additional nominations. [6]
Award / Organization | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grammy Awards | 2005 | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | The College Dropout - Kanye West | Nominated |
2006 | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Late Registration - Kanye West | Nominated | |
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album | Won | |||
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album | Get Lifted - John Legend | Won | ||
Grammy Award for Record of the Year | ”Gold Digger” - Kanye West | Nominated | ||
2008 | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Graduation - Kanye West | Nominated | |
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album | Won | |||
2012 | Grammy Award for Best Rap Album | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West | Won | |
2015 | Grammy Award for Record of the Year | ”Fancy” - Iggy Azalea | Nominated | |
GOOD Music is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide distribution contract with the Island Def Jam Music Group in 2011. In 2012, the label released its only compilation album, Cruel Summer. In 2015, Pusha T was appointed president of the label by West, while record executive Steven Victor was appointed chief operating officer (COO). In late 2022, Pusha T stepped down from the position as he was no longer on speaking terms with West.
The following list is a discography of production by Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, an American rapper and record producer. It includes all of his work, as well as some of the music he produced and co-produced. The music is listed in sequential order by release date.
"I Changed My Mind" is a song by American R&B recording artist Keyshia Cole, recorded for her debut album, The Way It Is (2005). It was written by the singer along with John Legend and Kanye West, while production on the track was helmed by the latter. Released on November 9, 2004 as the lead single from the album, it was mildly successful commercially, peaking at number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
Michael George Dean is an American record producer, audio engineer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his synthesizer-heavy instrumentation and audio mixing for high-profile music industry artists. He began his career in 1992, producing albums for rappers such as Scarface, Willie D, and Geto Boys, but has since worked on records for artists including the Weeknd, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Jay-Z, Drake, Madonna, Selena Gomez, and Lana Del Rey, among others. As a non-vocal lead artist, Dean has released four solo studio albums: 4:20 (2020), 4:22 (2021), Smoke State 42222 (2022), and 4:23 (2023).
808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 24, 2008, having been recorded earlier that year in September and October at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dominating its production, West was assisted by fellow producers No I.D., Plain Pat, Jeff Bhasker, and Mr Hudson, while also utilizing guest vocalists for some tracks, including Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, and Lil Wayne.
"Paranoid" is a song by American musician Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features vocals from English musician Mr Hudson and background vocals from American singer Kid Cudi. West handled the production, with co-production from Jeff Bhasker and Plain Pat. The song was written by the producers alongside Kid Cudi and American rapper Consequence. It was serviced to top 40 radio stations in the United States on March 23, 2009, as the fourth and final single from the album. An upbeat new wave track, the song features electronic drum effects and pop synths. Its lyrical content is centered around West being pushed away by the mistrustful thinking of a woman that he is in love with.
"Welcome to Heartbreak" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features a guest appearance from Kid Cudi on his debut collaboration with West, as well as background vocals by Jeff Bhasker. It was produced by West, with co-production from Bhasker and Plain Pat; the three of them served as the songwriters alongside Kid Cudi. The inspiration behind the song was a conversation West had with Dave Sirulnick, who showed him some pictures of his children. A hip pop number, it has electronic instrumentation that is reliant on piano. In the lyrics of the song, West mentions trying to fill the lack of substance in his life with extravagant materialistic items.
Jeffrey Nath Bhasker is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013.
FNZ are an Australian record production duo composed of Michael "Finatik" Mulé and Isaac "Zac" De Boni. The group was formed in 2009, signing to fellow producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment the following year. They first received credits on his productions for much of the following decade, although they've since expanded their work doing so independently by the 2020s.
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is the second studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on November 9, 2010, through Dream On and GOOD Music, and distributed by Universal Motown Records. It serves as a sequel to his debut studio album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), and is the second installment of the Man on the Moon trilogy. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 at various recording studios and was handled by long-time collaborators Emile Haynie and Plain Pat. It also featured contributions from Anthony Kilhoffer, Blended Babies, Chuck Inglish, Dot da Genius, Jim Jonsin, and Rami Beatz, among others. The album was supported by two singles: "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager".
Patrick Reynolds, professionally known as Plain Pat, is an American music executive, record producer, songwriter and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for overseeing American musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi, during their respective early vocations. He is also noted for working with prominent artists such as Drake, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Lupe Fiasco, Ghostface Killah, The Roots, Lloyd, Young Gunz, Ashanti, Ludacris, Freeway, Ja Rule, N.O.R.E. and The Mutton Birds among others.
The following list is a discography of production by Travis Scott, an American rapper from Houston, Texas. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.
The 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards are a recognition ceremony held on October 10, 2009 at the Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2009 show was hosted by Mike Epps.
"RoboCop" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song contains background vocals from Tony Williams and Jeff Bhasker. It was solely produced by West, who served as a songwriter alongside Esthero, Malik Yusef, Consequence, Kid Cudi, Williams, Bhasker, T-Pain, and Young Jeezy. Due to the embodiment of Patrick Doyle's work, a songwriting credit for him was added. The song was recorded in 2008 across numerous studios, being tweaked to perfection. Manny Marroquin explained how it was a challenge to make, confirming that multiple versions were created. An art pop number with an orchestral style, it embodies portions of "Kissing in the Rain", performed by Doyle.
Kids See Ghosts was an American hip-hop supergroup composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Wyoming sessions, the duo released their eponymous debut album in June of that year, through their respective label imprints, GOOD Music and Wicked Awesome Records. The album was met with critical acclaim, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The duo disbanded in 2022 due to personal disagreements, and although they reconciled the following year, there has been no information regarding the duo's status.
"Guilt Trip" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Mike Dean, S1, with an additional production credit for Travis Scott and Ackeejuice Rockers for the samples of "Chief Rocka" by Lords of the Underground and "Blocka" by Pusha T featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott. The song's lyrics deal with looking back at a failed relationship, similar to fellow Yeezus track "Blood on the Leaves". West provides his vocals through rapping and singing through an Auto-Tune processor, reminiscent of his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. The song includes vocals from rapper Kid Cudi, who later expressed negative opinions about his feature due to his vocals being recorded years prior.
"Street Lights" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features background vocals from Esthero and Tony Williams. It was produced by West and co-produced by Mr Hudson. The producers co-wrote the song with Esthero and Williams. For the song, West was inspired by driving past street lights. A pop piano ballad with indie pop elements, it features shoegaze synths. Lyrically, West references street lights passing by like memories and time.
"Coldest Winter" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song was produced by West, with co-production from No I.D. and Jeff Bhasker. The producers served as songwriters alongside Roland Orzabal, who received a writing credit as a result of music that he wrote being interpolated. In October 2008, the song was previewed via Power 106. An electropop number, it interpolates Tears for Fears' "Memories Fade". In the lyrics, Kanye mourns the death of Donda West.
Brent Kolatalo is an American mixer, record producer, engineer and songwriter based in New York City. Kolatalo has worked with numerous artists and musicians, including Kanye West, Jay-Z, Eminem, Drake, Bruno Mars, X Ambassadors, Future, Chris Webby, Ella Henderson, Taylor Swift, Lorde, OneRepublic, Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey among others.
Noah Goldstein is an American record producer, composer, engineer, and mixer, and also works in A&R. He won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for his work on Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and has been nominated for six others.